Aeris & Sephiroth: The Early Years
by Madcap Minstrel
Summary: A collection of random one-shots from the Ripples series, taking place from when Professor Gast and Ifalna take Sephiroth into their home, up until Aeris leaves to join Avalanche. Chapter 2: 9-year-old Sephiroth decides to achieve a new milestone and attract the attention of his first crush. Rated T for language, mostly from Barret.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Playmates

"Mom?"

Ifalna Gast glanced down at eight-year-old Sephiroth as she changed baby Aeris' diaper.

"Hmm?"

"Why is Aeris always in such a bad mood all the time?" the boy asked.

"What do you mean?" Ifalna asked curiously.

"Well, she rarely smiles, she never laughs…all she ever does is cry and fuss,"

Ifalna laughed. "Well, Aeris is only four weeks old, Seph. She doesn't know _how_ to smile yet,"

"She smiled in her sleep this morning," Sephiroth pointed out.

"That was just gas," Ifalna explained.

Sephiroth looked stunned. "She smiled because she farted?"

Professor Faremis Gast burst out laughing from across the room where he sat reading.

"I don't get it," Ifalna said to no one in particular, "Doesn't matter what age they are, if they're male, they all love 'fart humor',"

"So she's not still scared about what happened when we left Icicle Inn?" Sephiroth asked.

"I doubt she even remembers it," Gast reassured him.

"When will she learn how to smile?"

"In a few months," Ifalna answered.

"When will she learn to walk?"

"When she's about a year old,"

"When will she learn to speak?"

"She'll start with one or two words maybe a little before she starts walking. You won't really able to actually talk to her until she's a couple years old,"

"Babies are only good at laying around, huh?" Sephiroth asked, slightly frustrated.

Ifalna smiled. "Were you hoping for someone to play with right away?"

"I don't know how to play," admitted Sephiroth, "People talk about it, but I don't know how to talk to the other children here,"

"There's a park not too far from here," said Ifalna, "Why don't you go walk over there and watch what the other kids do? Then maybe whatever they're doing, you can ask them if you can join in?"

"You mean, all I have to do is say, 'Can I play with you'?"

"That's all,"

"Is it safe for me to go off on my own?"

"You'll be fine," Gast told the boy.

Sephiroth stared pointedly. "I was talking about you. Maybe I can create another barrier while I'm gone,"

The professor looked irritated.

"Shinra's influence doesn't reach here," he said, keeping his annoyance in check, "They won't just swoop in and snatch anyone away,"

"Or shoot anyone?" Sephiroth pressed, recalling how his new father figure had been shot in the leg, and would have been shot in the head, had Sephiroth not blocked the attack.

"We'll be fine," Ifalna reassured the boy before he could injure her husband's pride any further, "Go play. But when somebody asks you your name, what do you say?"

"My name is Joseph Lanier," Sephiroth recited mechanically, "I live with my parents, Dr. and Mrs. Lanier, and my baby sister Aeris Lanier,"

"There's a good boy," Gast praised him.

"Be back in time for dinner," Ifalna told the boy before he left.

* * *

Sephiroth had spent half an hour watching the kids at the park. He couldn't understand any of it. None of the kids had swords, so he couldn't spar with them. He realized it was a good idea to leave his wooden sword behind. These kids probably wouldn't give him space to train, and let themselves get struck. All everyone was doing was running around. Some kids were even stealing toys from the other kids! Sephiroth wasn't sure what he would do if someone tried to steal his precious bokken.

He got up and started to wander around. His eyes then came to rest on a large playground structure that several children were climbing all over.

That looked interesting, at least. He decided to investigate.

Making his way over to the structure, he looked up at the side. Watching the kids sliding down quickly looked intriguing. Finally, he decided to try it himself. He grabbed the sides of the ladder and began to climb up. He watched one little boy get to the top, but instead of sitting like the other kids, he got on his belly and slid down.

As Sephiroth reached the top, he decided to do as that other kid had done. He lay down on his stomach and pushed himself down, perhaps a bit harder than he should have. He sped down the slide, launching off head-first into the sand below.

The boy cringed as he spat out the sand and emptied it out of his shirt.

"Hey, move away so I can slide!" someone called from the top.

Sephiroth wordlessly rolled over and got to his feet, still shaking sand from his shirt. Still, he couldn't help but smile a little.

_It's as if I was flying!_

"Show-off!" a voice said.

Sephiroth turned to see three girls a couple of years older giggling at him.

"Your hair is pretty," said one girl.

"R-really?" the boy stammered as he brushed more sand out of his hair, which was now reaching to his shoulders.

Ifalna had offered to cut it when they were living in Icicle Inn, but he'd refused, wanting to have control over his looks for once. As it was, he'd been surprised that the staff at Shinra hadn't come by to give him another stupid bowl cut while he was still there. Maybe they had finally given up given how stubborn his cowlicks in the front were. But for now, he was happy to let his hair grow until he saw fit to trim it.

"It's so shiny!" another girl giggled.

The first girl went over to him and put her hands together. "Can we braid it?" she begged, "Please?"

"I-I don't want to cut my hair!" Sephiroth protested nervously.

"We're not gonna _cut_ it, silly!" the girl said, rolling her eyes, "We just wanna _braid _it! You can take it out if you want later!"

"Uh…okay," he said.

"I'm Eleanor," the girl introduced herself, "This is Thena and Emily. Come with us to that rock over there. Right near the pond. That way when we're done, you can look at your reflection in the water,"

She and Thena then each grabbed a hand and began to drag the boy off.

* * *

"I can't believe how _soft_ your hair is!" Emily cooed as she and the other girls walked with a freshly-braided Sephiroth around the pond.

Sephiroth scowled. "Is it really that soft?"

"Like a _baby's_," Thena said.

"No, not that soft," said Sephiroth, "My baby sister takes the cake for soft hair,"

"You have a baby sister?" Eleanor squealed, "Is her hair the same color as yours?"

"No," Sephiroth replied, "I'm adopted,"

"Oh, this is rich!"

Sephiroth looked and saw a group of older boys in the distance. The one who spoke was a scrawny dark-haired kid who looked to be about twelve years old. In the back was a hefty black kid with an afro who looked a bit bored.

"You found a new girl to play with?" the boy sneered.

Eleanor stamped her foot. "Shut up, Dyne!"

"You're mistaken," Sephiroth corrected him, "I'm a boy,"

"Then why do you have your hair braided all girly?" Dyne taunted him.

Sephiroth looked a bit wary as he turned to the girls. "Did…you do this to make me look like a girl?" he asked slowly.

"No!" Eleanor protested, "We did it because it's so long and pretty!"

"Why don't your show us your dress?" Dyne teased.

Sephiroth was slowly getting angry.

"Leave him alone!" Thena complained.

"'Leave him alone!'" one of the boys mimicked her.

"Come on, Joseph," Eleanor said angrily, "Let's just ignore them,"

"No, really!" one of the boys blocked their way, "Let's see 'Josephina's' training bra!"

He yanked up Sephiroth's shirt. However, Sephiroth quickly grabbed the boy's hand, twisting it behind his back. Before the boy could react, Sephiroth tossed him into the pond.

Dyne stared in shock, while the black youth burst out laughing.

"You little _bastard!_" the boy shouted as he stood up, soaking wet, charging at him.

Sephiroth easily shoved the boy back into the pond.

"I know what that word means, and I don't want you calling me that ever again," the silver-haired boy said coldly.

"Screw this!" Dyne exclaimed as he took off running. The soaked boy stumbled out of the water and did the same.

The boy with the afro came over to Sephiroth, still laughing.

"Leave him alone, Barrett!" Eleanor warned him, while Sephiroth tensed up again.

"Naw, I'm not gonna do anything," Barrett snickered, "Just wanted to say you're pretty strong. You play ball?"

Sephiroth shook his head.

"You should," said Barrett, "We could use someone like you to play with,"

"You…want to play with me?" Sephiroth asked hesitantly.

"Can you come by the field tomorrow around three?" Barrett asked, "Don't worry, those two jokers will leave you alone from now on,"

"Okay," Sephiroth said, "Sure. Oh- I have to run now. It's almost dinnertime. Uh…it was nice meeting you all!"

He turned around and jogged off, taking the braid out of his hair.

_Other kids sure are strange…_he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Trust

Nine-year-old Sephiroth pushed Aeris' stroller down the sidewalk on a sunny afternoon. His tutoring sessions were over for the day, and he had felt like taking a walk. Ifalna had asked him if he wanted to take Aeris, and he agreed to bring the bubbly one-year-old with him.

He adjusted the large sunglasses he wore on his face. He always wore them when he went outside, for two reasons. Firstly, the sun always gave him a slight headache. Second, he was still self-conscious about his cat-like pupils, and unlike his hair, they were easier to hide.

"Dah!" Aeris squealed excitedly, pointing at a bird perched in a nearby tree.

"Bird," Sephiroth answered her, "That's a bird. Can you say 'bird'?"

Aeris scrunched her nose and shook her head from side to side.

"That's okay. Some other time, maybe,"

Aeris began giggling.

"Maybe after you learn how to talk, you can finally tell me what's so funny?" Sephiroth suggested.

"Yo, Seph!"

Sephiroth looked up and saw fourteen-year-old Barrett Wallace jogging over to meet him.

"'Sup, braniac?" the teen greeted him. He then leaned over and smiled at Aeris. "Hey, sweet-pea,"

"How was school?" Sephiroth asked.

"Talked about the Shinra in civics class today," Barrett told him.

Sephiroth grew uneasy. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, turned into a huge debate. I dunno. Coal power is how we done things for years, but a lotta coal miners get lung diseases after so many years of work. The smoke also make kids sick. I mean, my cousin has asthma and he's always a mess,"

"Barrett…" Sephiroth said hesitantly.

"'Sup?"

"Look, you know I've got weird eyes," the boy said slowly, "And…well, there's a reason for that. You know how members of SOLDIER get their glowing eyes taking a mako shower?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Well, when I was really little…I accidentally got sprayed by mako. That's why my eyes glow,"

"Really?" Barrett was intrigued.

"Yeah," Sephiroth lied, "But…"  
"What?" Barrett prodded his younger friend.

"Sometimes, I get scared about what might happen to me when I get older," Sephiroth admitted, telling the truth now, "What if my body falls apart? What if the mako kills me someday? They haven't been doing the mako showers for very long, you know,"

"They say it's safe,"

"They say a lot of things. Companies always lie. Do you really think that those sugar-coated chocolate cereals they advertise on TV are _actually_ fortified with vitamins? Oh, maybe one or two, but the commercials make it sound like the cereal is actually good for you. I'm only nine years old, but I already know that's complete nonsense,"

"You really think the Shinra are full of shit?" Barrett asked.

"They say mako is the physical manifestation of the lifestream. You know what the lifestream is, right?"

"Sure I do. My ma believes in the power of spirit energy. You really think it's all connected, though?"

"I do. You shouldn't mess with the dead,"

"Eh! Eh!" Aeris began to fuss, holding her arms out toward Sephiroth.

"Sorry," the boy apologized as he picked Aeris up out of the stroller.

"You spoil that baby," Barrett teased him.

_I feel sad when she cries…_Sephiroth thought, still knowing better than to admit that to the fourteen-year-old.

"She hates to be in the stroller if we're not actually going somewhere," Sephiroth explained.

"Y'know, when we play 'Capture The Flag', you're like a general out there," Barrett remarked, "But with that baby, you're a total pushover,"

"Shut up," Sephiroth sulked.

"Sephy!" Aeris exclaimed as she threw her arms around the boy.

"D'awww…" Barrett teased Sephiroth again.

"Om-nom-nom-nom!" Aeris shrieked as she buried her face against Sephiroth's cheek.

"The hell?" Barrett scowled.

"She hasn't quite figure out how to kiss people yet," Sephiroth said as he put Aeris back in her stroller and wiped his face, "Let's walk," he suggested.

"'Kay. Sounds like any kind of energy is gonna mess with the people who harness it, huh?"

"Yeah. And, I just think coal's good enough to power up our homes," Sephiroth went on as they strolled down the street, "Everyone here has good jobs because of mining. It's not like a hundred years ago when people kept on getting killed in the mines. My dad always says 'If it isn't broken, then don't fix it',"

"Coal isn't enough to power those awesome Omni theaters they have in Midgar," said Barrett.

Sephiroth shrugged indifferently. "I'll survive,"

"You're really not into those flashy things, huh?"

"Nope. I'd rather run around,"

"And swing a sword, right? Dyne said you're taking fencing now. Fencing, kendo, you're just a sword-swinging machine, ain't ya?"

"Yeah, he asked me if I was compensating by carrying a big sword around all the time. When I asked him what that even meant, he started laughing and said he'd tell me when I'm older,"

"It just means he's a dipshit," Barrett told the younger boy.

"If that's true, why does Eleanor keep hanging around him, then?" Sephiroth asked, "I really don't get it,"

"Dunno. Girls are nuts,"

"He's not even that nice to her," Sephiroth muttered resentfully.

Barrett laughed. "Maybe you can do better?" he teased.

Sephiroth turned away, looking annoyed, but deep down, he knew he could. At least he was considerate toward her, unlike Dyne, who often left her in the lurch in favor of the guys. Sephiroth didn't believe in ditching anyone. It just seemed like a cold thing to do.

Still, for some reason, Eleanor paid more attention to the older boy. During the year he'd been living in Corel, Sephiroth had started to realize how strange pre-teens and young teenagers were, especially girls. Yet, he preferred their company over the other nine-year-olds, all of whom Sephiroth thought to be complete morons. He was glad he didn't have to attend school with any of them.

He had a plan, though. This plan would accomplish two things: to get Eleanor's attention, and to be ready for his next birthday, which was coming soon. He already knew what his present would be, at least if his adoptive parents had gotten the hints he'd dropped.

Tonight, he would learn to ride a bicycle once and for all, and not need any help from either Ifalna or Professor Gast once they gave him a bike. Eleanor would be the one to help him with that.

He just hoped to high heavens he wouldn't embarrass himself in front of her…

* * *

Sephiroth glared. "No,"

"You _need_ to wear a helmet!" Eleanor insisted.

"Not that helmet," Sephiroth insisted.

"It's the only one I could find that would have fit you!" the girl protested.

"It looks stupid!" Sephiroth argued, "Look at it!"

Eleanor glanced down at the bicycle helmet she held in her hands. It was bright yellow, with orange and white at the front end. The design was supposed to depict the head of a chocobo, with eyes and a beak.

"_I_ liked wearing it when I was little…" she muttered, offended.

"Over my dead body!" Sephiroth announced, "Don't worry. I've got a hard head. You've seen me playing ball with the older guys. You've seen me playing 'Capture The Flag'. I'll be fine,"

"Fine. It's your funeral…" Eleanor sighed, "Why'd you want me to come help you anyway?"

"You have a bike, and…I knew you wouldn't laugh at me for being the only nine-year-old in Corel to not know how to ride,"

"Aw, your secret's safe with me," Eleanor beamed.

"If I can learn to ride now, I'll be able to leverage getting a bike next month when I turn ten," Sephiroth reasoned.

"Well, try not to wreck my old bike, then. Okay, should we get started?"

"Okay,"

Eleanor spent about five minutes explaining the fundamentals on how a bicycle worked. After she was finished, Sephiroth mounted the bike, while Eleanor held her lantern up. Little did she know that Sephiroth could see just fine, despite it being pitch-black.

"If my parents find out I'm not in bed, they're gonna kill me _and_ you," she warned Sephiroth once more.

"I heard you the first time," the boy said as he put one leg on the pedal and pushed off, only to veer to the side and tumble over immediately.

"I'm alright!" he said immediately as he got up and pulled the bike up after him.

"I'm alright!" he said when the bike fell on top of him after another clumsy start.

"I'm alright!" he insisted when he accidentally hit a small rock, throwing him over the handlebars.

Sephiroth pushed off again, this time maintaining balance as he tentatively pedaled down the road, gradually picking up speed as he gained confidence.

"Easy, Seph!" Eleanor warned him as she jogged behind him, "Don't go too far! There's a curve!"

"This is fun!" Sephiroth exclaimed.

"Tree!" Eleanor yelped as she saw the small tree right at the curve, "Turn left!"

"How do I-?" Sephiroth wasn't able to finish the sentence as he crashed into the tree and tumbled off the bike, rolling uncontrollably down the steep hill until he smacked his head into the base of another tree.

"Joseph!" Eleanor shrieked as she ran down the hill, frantically hoping that he would stand up and once again say "I'm alright!". But the boy simply lay there, not moving.

* * *

"But I want to sleep…" Sephiroth yawned the next evening as he leaned over as he sat on the couch at home. His bandages had already come off, but he wore them outside the house so as not to attract attention. His ability to heal quickly was not something that either of his surrogate parents wanted noticed by anyone.

"Nope," Ifalna said sharply as she jerked him back up, "You have a concussion. The professor told you what would happen if you were to fall asleep,"

"You were lucky your friend was there to get help," added Professor Gast.

"Maybe I can't fall into comas?" Sephiroth suggested hopefully.

"We're not taking that chance," Gast said firmly.

"This is what you get for doing something so stupid," Ifalna added.

"Stand up and walk," Gast suggested, "That should keep you awake,"

Aeris toddled into the living room. "Dah?"

"Oh, for Odin's sake!" Gast groaned as he went over to his daughter, "What do I have to do to that crib to keep you from escaping it?"

"Sephy!" Aeris called out, reaching for the boy.

"Yes, he's still awake," Gast told her as he picked her up, "But _you_ need to sleep. Back to bed with you!"

"Why can't either of my kids behave?" Ifalna sighed as she watched her husband carry Aeris out of the room.

She then noticed Sephiroth nodding off on his feet.

"Wake up!" Ifalna said loudly as she jerked him awake again.

* * *

A/N: Yes, young Seph has a crush on Marlene's future mother. He wasn't always drawn to Aeris. After all, she's just a baby here. This is not Twilight. :P


End file.
